Swimming apparatus.



No. 732,405. 7 I PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903. J. J. GALLAGHER.

SWIM-MING APPARATUS APPLICATION FILED Mn. 1a, 1903.

NO MODEL.

Qxmemo Patentedfun so, 1903.

PATENT Orrrcn.

' JOHN J. GALLAGHER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWIMMING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,405, dated June so, 1903.

- Application filed March 13, 1903.

To all whom/it may concern:- Be it known that 1, JOHN J. GALLAGHER, citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the coun'tyof'Oook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Swimming Apparatus; and .I do hereby declare the followingto be .a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Thisinvention is in the nature of means for assisting a swimmer in propelling himself through the water, and has for its object to :providean improved device of this character which I denominate a swimming appara tus'.

\Vith this object in view the invention consists in an apparatus of the character dcscribed, comprising a propeller-whee1, gearing connected up with the treadles to be operated by the feet of the swimmer for actuating the propeller-wheel, a saddle-bar mounted upon the bearing. of the propeller-wheel,' a' saddle attached to the saddle-bar, and a suit-- able harness for attaching the whole apparatus to the body of the swimmer.

, The invention further consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts composing an apparatus, all as. hereinafter fully described, and afterward specifically claimed.

I have illustrated one form of apparatus. in which my invention may be embodied'in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view of the apparatus in front. elevation, partly in section, together with a portion ofthe body and the limbs of a swimmer to which the apparatus is attached. Fig.

.2 IS a fragmentary detailed-view, upon an enlarged scale, of the gearing. Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the means for securing. the treadies to the feet of the swimmer.

Like numerals of reference mark the same parts in. all of the figures of the drawings.

Referring to-the drawings specifically, 1 indicates the body, and 2 and the legs, of the swimmer.

In securing tlie'apparatus to the body of the swimmer I propose in some instances to use a harness provided with suspenders to run over the shouldo rs of the swimmer; but this I do not consider-iiidispcnsableand have illustrated in Serial No. 147,548. (No model) is mounted upon a saddle-bar, preferab1y adj ustable in length to accommodate persons of different lengths of limbs and diffe'rentadjustments of the gearing, as hereinafter described, said saddle-barinthis instance consisting of a tubular upper portion 7, mounted upon said lower portion 8 and secured in any adjustment by set-screw 9. Upon the lower portion 8 of thesaddle-bar are two hubs 9 and 10, in which, as may at the time be desired, is journaled a crank-axle 11', provided with crank arms 12 and crank-pins 13, the latter tbeing adapted to receive flat soles or treadles 14,

secured'to the feet of the operator by means.

of bands 15, said treadles having'backwardlypointed hook-like connections 16 to catch over the crank-pins and spring-pawl catches 17 I to automatically spring into position, as in Fig. 3, to hold the treadles "upon the crank- By releasing the pawls the treadles can be pushed forward off the crank-pins and.

quicklyv slipped 'ofi '85.

pins.

may then be readily and the feet of the swimmer.

Upon the crank-axle 11 is secured aflarge vertically-placed bevel-crown gear-wheelg lB,

having two concentric circles of teeth 19 and 20,"the former farther from the center than the latter, as clearly shown. 'When the parts are assembled, the teeth of the crown-beveled Wheel ISengage with a bevel gear-wheel'2lg secured on a shaft 22, journaled atthe end of the part 8 and in line therewith, upon the outer end of which shaft is secured a propeller-wheel 23 of any suitable form-or material.

By operating the treadles the propeller is rotated and the-body of the swimmer rapidly forced through the water. Then it is desired to drive the propeller-wheel at the highest .speed, the crank-shaft 11 is fitted in the hub S), as shownin thedrawings,and the teethl!) engage with the teeth of the bevel-gear 21,

but when for any reason it is desirable to decrease the speed the crank-shaft is removed from the hub 9 and journaled in the hub 10, which will bring the inner circle 20'of teeth of the wheel 18 into mesh with'the bevelwheel :21.

I sometimes provide a friction-roller at a suitable point upon the part 8, as shown at 24, to afford a bearing for the large wheel 18 and render its motion easier and steadier by preventing friction. e

The hook 16 might be secured directly to the band 15 without the intervention .of the treadle 14. In either event the feet could be adjusted to the crank-arms by simply rubbing them backward over said crank-arms, which motion would cause the spring-pawl catch 17 to yield to allow the crank-arm to slip into position, as shown in Fig. 3, the pawl springing back into its locking position as soon as the crank-arms have passed it. \Vith either construction it is only necessary inorder to remove the foot from the crank-arm to slide it ofl? the end thereof.

It being desirable that this apparatus shall be as light as possible, it will probably be preferable to make all of the metallic parts of aluminium or some alloy thereof, such metals being exceedingly light and very strong.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A swimming apparatus comprising a saddle and saddle-bar, in combination with a harness for attaching the saddle-bar to the body of the swimmer, a propeller-wheel journaled at the end of the saddle-bar, means for driving the propeller, in position to be operated by the feet of the swimmer, and detachable treadles therefor, substantially as described.

2. Aswimmingapparatuscomprisingasaddle and saddle bar, in combination with a harness for attaching the saddle-bar to the body of the swimmer, means for adjusting the length of the saddle-bar, a propeller-wheel journaled at the end of the saddle-bar, a bevel gear-wheel on the propeller-shaft having two concentric circles of teeth, means for journaling the last-named wheel nearer to or farther from the propeller-wheel, and means for actuating the gearing in position to be adapted to the feet of the operator in varying positions, substantially as described.

3, A swimming apparatus comprising a saddle, a harness for securing it to the body of the swimmer, a propeller-wheel connected with the saddle, gearing for actuating the propeller-wheel,cranks for actuating the gearing, and means secured to the feet of the operator for readily engaging them with the crank-pin, said means comprising bands to pass over the feet, rearwardly-projecting depending hooks secured to the bands, and sprin g-pawls normally in engagement with the ends of said hooks,substantially as described.

4. In a swimming apparatus, the combination with a propeller, of a foot-operated mechanism for driving the same, and detachable treadles for actuating said mechanism, sub stantially as described.

5. In a swimming apparatus, the combination with a propeller, of mechanism for actuatin g the same, crank-pins carried thereby, and treadles rotatably mounted upon said pins and detachable therefrom by lateral movement, substantially as described.-

6. In a swimming apparatus, the combination with a propeller, of driving mechanism therefor, and crank-pins carried thereby, a treadle for each of said erankpins, a hook carried by eachtreadle surrounding its respective pin, and apawl normally closing each of said hooks, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' JOHN J. GALLAGHER. Witnesses:

Gnonon E. Wrssmnn, CHARLES C. SPENCER. 

